Page 13 of London's Calling: Part 1
I had every intention of sneaking out after Daddy went to bed, but I can’t risk Carl ratting me out again. And I guess I must fall asleep, waking when my alarm goes off at 7 a.m.
I have no idea why I set my alarm so early. With only a month to go at university, I don’t have any classes. But I do have a dissertation to complete by next week. I’m sure my father knows my class schedule, but rather than sit here all day, waiting for him to find fault with me, I’ll go to the library on campus to study.
I rummage around in my wardrobe for something acceptable to wear to campus. Finally finding a pair of high-waisted black trousers and a red bardot top, I dress before gathering my bag, which I load up with a few hefty books to consolidate my lie, and head downstairs.
I breathe a sigh of relief when I realise my father isn’t around, and I hurry out the front door only to bump into Carl.
He takes in my appearance and the bag I’m struggling to hold on my shoulder with the weight of it.
“I thought your classes were over?” he questions as I stride past him in the direction of my car.
“They are but I still have a dissertation to finish, and I need a reference book from the library. So, I’m just going to work there for the day. No need for you to tag along,” I tell him, trying to remain upbeat and casual.
“I’ll drive you,” he states, stopping beside me at the car and holding out his hand for my keys.
“It’s honestly not nec?—”
“I insist,” he says, cutting me off and gesturing with his hand.
What he really means is my father has told him to accompany me everywhere. There is no escaping the inevitable, so I slap the keys into his hand. Opening the back door, I toss—more like drop—my bag onto the seat before proceeding to get in the passenger seat.
I feel like I’m suffocating already. And things are only going to get worse once I get the information my father wants and I’m married off to Clayton.
Chapter Ten
Mickey
With my foot resting on the leg of my desk, I swing my chair to and fro while tapping my pen on the desk. It’s almost twenty-four hours since I dropped the bid for the Tower Hotels chain. I did my fucking homework, crunched the numbers and made a bid at the top end of the estimated value of the hotel chain. I even made preparations for a hostile takeover if it comes to it. I have several smaller companies my father owns ready to buy shares to gain a majority share.
My phone rings, and I drop the pen, reaching for the phone instantly. Seeing the caller ID flash across the digital screen, I pick it up.
“Tell me?” I demand with no greeting.
“Sorry, Mickey?—”
“Fuck!” I slam my foot into the desk leg. “What happened?”
“They’re gonna reject it. Apparently, there is a better offer on the table.”
“Fucking Hart, right?”
Al sighs down the line. “My guess, yeah.”
“Okay, thanks for the heads up.” I end the call, imagining slamming the handset into Franklin Hart’s head as I replace it.
I should have known that son of a bitch would be in the ring for the Simmonds’ hotel empire. But I’m not beat yet. I make a few calls to put my hostile takeover in play before heading out.
As I pull up, I watch Roni letting herself into my apartment. Anger at her and her fucking meddling father have me out the car the second she shuts the door and heading for what is my temporary home.
I clock her usual security in the car she just exited from and give him the finger when he spots me.
“Hey, where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Carl calls to me as I reach the apartment entrance—my side not hers.
Spinning on my heel slowly, I face him, wearing a cunning smile. “To my apartment,” I state casually, taking a couple of steps back toward the second apartment entrance. The joy at Carl’s expression as I turn my body and place my key in the lock, keeping my eyes on him, is almost as good as the look on Roni’s face when I fucked her.
His nose turns up as he looks up to where Roni is most likely making herself right at home in my actual apartment. When he looks back to me again, he says, “I’m watching you, Rawlins.”
“Good to know. Thanks for that.” I salute him then disappear inside, running up the stairs. When I reach the second floor, I keep going up past the third to the fourth floor and only stopping when I reach the locked door.
